Against the backdrop of the fight against right-wing extremism, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is urging the government to quickly pass the Democracy Promotion Act.
The SPD politician told the “Rheinische Post” that everyone who made democracy strong and lively should now have their backs strengthened. “There are countless civil society initiatives in our country. In order to support them permanently and reliably, we finally need the Democracy Promotion Act, which we presented a year ago,” said Faeser. “The Bundestag should decide on it now. It’s high time for it.”
The Democracy Promotion Act is intended to provide clubs and organizations that are committed to strengthening democracy and preventing extremism with a better financial basis in the future.
Faeser praises demonstrations against right-wing extremism
Faeser welcomed the recent demonstrations against right-wing extremism, in which hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country. “An alert civil society is the strongest firewall against right-wing extremists. This weekend, too, the heart of our democracy beat on our streets and squares,” said the minister. “The fact that so many people show faces and attitudes, especially in small towns, especially in the eastern German states, is both an encouragement and a mandate,” emphasized the SPD politician.
People “clearly expect that we, as a defensive constitutional state, will oppose the extremists and protect all those who have to experience racism, exclusion and hatred.” For them, it is therefore still important to “dismantle right-wing extremist networks, drain their financial sources, take away their weapons and harshly prosecute agitators and violent criminals.”
More protests planned
The protests were triggered by a report by the media company Correctiv about a meeting of radical right-wingers on November 25th in Potsdam, which was also attended by AfD politicians and individual members of the CDU and the very conservative Values Union.
Demonstrations are also planned in several German cities today. In Frankfurt am Main, a broad alliance has called for a rally at Römerberg. More than 100 organizations have joined the call under the title “Frankfurt stands up for democracy,” the organizers announced.
The organizers expect tens of thousands of participants. The expected speakers include Mayor Mike Josef (SPD) and the journalist Michel Friedman. A rally under the motto “Never again means banning the AfD” is planned in Duisburg.
